


Familial Bonds

by TheWorstStoryteller



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Miss Cackle's Academy for Witches, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 11:40:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22495492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWorstStoryteller/pseuds/TheWorstStoryteller
Summary: This is a story exploring close relationships as Hecate Hardbroom, a teen that hasn't met her parents faces the challenge of partaking in Cackle's art tradition of magical family trees. With her dear friend Pippa Pentangle by her side and the help of the tree she attempts to discover the truth about her family. Will she find it? And if she does, will it be what she expected?
Relationships: Hardbroom/Pentangle (Worst Witch)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	Familial Bonds

It is fair to say that Hecate Hardbroom is not a fan of art classes. To be precise, she wishes they would be abolished from the school curriculum altogether.

Nobody really understands her passionate hatred towards the subject or her animosity towards those teaching it. They have a vague idea of her view of it being useless and not beneficial for the students, but no one knows, recalls or fathoms particularly why that is.

Except one person. Well, two actually.

It was a typical autumn morning when Hecate and her form paraded through the art room, setting their bags on the desks. The cold breeze finding its way in through the old creaking windows prompted them to fetch for the ones located at the far end. The unlucky few to enter last resorted to clasping their cloaks tightly around their bodies while they engaged themselves into the boring task of prising sticky maple leaves off of the wooden surface.

Hecate chose the seat next to Pippa Pentangle. Unlike her, who only displayed a strong interest in subjects that required direct use of magic, Pippa was quite capable in art and Hecate loved seeing her come up with all these wonderful ideas and create one masterpiece after another. To Hecate, who felt dazzled to be closely witnessing her talent unfold, this was magical on its own. The glow on Pippa’s face that highlighted her already breathtakingly beautiful features was even more magical.

Pippa being both crafty and popular meant there was a lot of competition for the seat next to her and whenever Hecate had the chance to occupy it, it was a bliss. Pippa often reserved it for her which made her feel special.

“Today’s project is going to be magical family trees” Miss Coal, the art teacher announced enthusiastically once everybody was settled. “It’s a rather simple process. I’ll guide you through it once you collect the necessary tools” she added.

A chill, that didn't come from the windows, ran through Hecate’s spine as she felt her stomach muscles twist into a knot. All the blood seemed to have drained from her face as she looked even paler than usual. Everyone appeared to be absolutely thrilled but not her.

Hecate Hardbroom had never met her parents. She was abandoned at an orphanage a few days after she was born. She wasn’t even aware of whether Hardbroom was the real last name of her mother or fictional and in the instance that the latter was true, whether she or the orphanage had chosen it. She didn’t have the faintest idea who her family were and thus had no one to put on the tree.

“Are you ok?” Pippa squeezed her hand under the table.

She was not.

“I’m fine”she blurted icily, pulling her hand away abruptly.

Pippa, however, was not exactly notorious for letting things go easily.

“Are you sure? We can talk to Miss Coal. Perhaps she could let you do something else”

"It’s fine, really” If anything could be worse than feeling excluded, it was actually getting excluded and inevitably bringing every bit of unwanted attention to herself. She didn’t need delicate treatment. She needed to belong.

“Hecate Hardbroom” Miss Coal approached her as everyone gathered around the big counter to choose their seed and pot. “I’m sorry if this is making you uncomfortable. I should have talked to you prior to the lesson. It’s a tradition at Cackles and we’ve never had this sort of...situation before.”. Hecate could easily imagine why. The witching world, much like the human world, isn’t notable at providing equal opportunities, despite priding theme-selves in doing so. Cackle’s specifically is a very demanding academy and the entrance exams are nearly impossible to pass even for the most privileged children that have tutors prepare them. Hecate was the first child of the orphanage to get accepted there, to the amazement of her caretakers. What the magic council failed to realize is that allowing everyone to partake in the same tests doesn’t, on its own, automatically grand them the same chances to succeed.

“I just thought” continued Miss Coal “That perhaps you would like to try using the tree to find out about your family and in that case ,if anyone in this class should do it, it’s you”

Hecate froze “Is that possible?”

“Yes. On occasion, ancestors appear on the tree on their own. Sadly, it doesn’t always work and I can’t guarantee that it will but it’s worth a shot”

She had always wondered who her parents were and why they had abandoned her. She would often think of different scenarios over what they look like, what their names are, where they work etc. Perhaps her mother was a secret agent witch that had infiltrated a very private coven, totally unsuitable for raising babies. Perhaps her father was a member of the great wizard’s family that didn’t want his name ruined by the public learning he had a child out of wedlock. Or perhaps her parents were a couple of teens in love that had a fateful accident.

When she was about five she had told a few of the other kids that her parents were famous and would come get her back soon. She was crushed when, as she got older, realized this was almost certainly very very far from reality.

She wasn’t sure if she wanted to look for them. At times she felt mad and thought she didn’t need them. After all, they gave up on her first. Other times she wondered if they wanted to keep her but couldn’t raise her,a thought that made her sad.

“I..I don’t know,Miss Coal..I”. This could be the moment that changed everything forever. If all went well, this seed and pot on the table could give her the answers she had yearned for her entire life. What if she didn’t like them? What if she was better off not knowing?

“I’ll do it” she decided eventually.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded firmly, her gaze hovering over the array of clay canisters. It couldn’t hurt her _too_ badly. Learning their names and what they looked like didn’t mean she had to find them or search for more information than she was willing or ready for. The corners of her mouth rose slightly as she brought het black pot she chose and the pack of seed back to her desk.

Once every seed was planted, each girl enchanted her pot following the directions Miss Coal had given them. Hecate’s voice and hands trembled as she muttered the words. She hated that she had to experience such an emotional moment in front of the whole class. She caught Ursulla pointing at her,whispering something she couldn’t make out to her friends who burst out laughing at the remark but she couldn’t care less about that right now. Pippa placed her hand on her shoulder protectively while shooting them a glare.

* * *

“I’m sorry about what happened in art class. You didn’t deserve that. You did great though” she comforted her later as they laid together on the bed in the safety of her room. She played with Hecate’s long black curls as she rested them on her lap.

Hecate shook her head. “I made a fool of myself. Everyone’s probably talking about me and how stupid I l looked. Ursula and Co. had a fit”

Pippa leaned forward, pulled a tuft of hair away from her face and gently pressed her cheek so Hecate would look at her as she said “Nobody thinks that. You could turn all of us into toads using just your eyes and thoughts. Yes,Ursulla laughed but,well,she’s...Ursulla Hallow” she paused to think of the right term “really mean and cold-hearted and -“

“A merciless, misanthropic, malicious, Machiavellian monster?” Hecate finished her sentence for her. As an unapologetically addicted bookworm, she had a way with words. Last spring break,she had confided in Pippa her goal of reading through the entire dictionary and learning as many words as it was feasible for her to. Pippa concluded she must have reached the letter M now.

“Yes. All of that” she agreed, trying not to laugh at her friend’s choice of adjectives. She opted for a smile when Hecate looked away.

“I guess you’re right” the brunette sighed, focusing her vision on the bats hanging by her window, deep in sleep. Silence prevailed for a few minutes as her mind raced a million miles per minute. Suddenly, a thought rose above all the others. Hecate’s brows furrowed as she nervously fidgeted the string of red belt handing from her uniform. “Will you do me a favor?” she looked up at Pippa

“Sure thing, Hiccup.What is it?” Pippa let Hecate’s hair slip through her fingers.

“Will you come with me to check on the tree before the rising bell? I want to look at it before class tomorrow. I don’t want to break down in front of everyone. Plus we’ve already provided Ursula with enough laughing material for this term.” Miss Coal had informed them that their family members’ blobs would start taking their places as the plants grew overnight and would be ready by their next lesson the following morning.

“You didn’t even need to ask,Hic”

* * *

Pippa never reneged on her promises and this was, perhaps, the most important she had ever given. Getting caught roaming through the silent corridors of the Ancient castle at night was a risk she was willing to take. Even if she ended up spending the rest of her week’s evenings writing apologies by Alma Cackle’s side. It was worth it. She would even endure the looks of disappointment her parents would give her when they talked on the mirror again and gladly lose her broom privileges during the holidays. Because she loved Hiccup and would do anything for her.

Indeed, when the time came, she stood by Hecate’s door. She took a moment to catch her breath, relieved that she hadn’t been caught before announcing her presence.

The echo of the soft tap startled Hecate, shaking her out of her trance. The sound was followed by a light creak as the knob turned and the old wooden door gave into the pressure to reveal Pippa’s silhouette sliding through the dark.

“Pipsqueak,is that you?” Hecate whispered.

It was Pippa’s turn to jolt “I thought you were sleeping”

Hecate hadn’t closed her eyelids for a single moment since they wished each other goodnight. She couldn’t sleep. Not when there was so much at stake.

“I wasn’t” Hecate lit the lantern she kept by her bedside with a quick snap of her fingers. They could clearly see each other now and Pippa didn’t fail to notice the grey circles under her friend’s eyes. _Oh,dear Hecate_

“Let’s do this” her fellow witch stood up, redirecting the conversation away from the subject of her insοmnia. Morgana, that faced no such issues, ascended from the covers were she was previously laying, enraged to be awaken on such an inappropriate time. Hecate patted her head kindly as a means of apology. “We have to be really quiet” she noted, throwing her long cloak over her shoulders once Morgana was successfully appeased. “I’m going to transfer us there. We can’t risk getting caught. Or waste time”

“But” Pippa almost objected. She wasn’t very fond of transferring spells, which unfortunately had grown into a habit for the taller witch who resorted to them every time she wanted to avoid walking since mastering them last term. Thus the young Pentangle often found herself unintentionally spiraling through space. She realized, however, that this was different. It was important and Hecate was right. “Okay” she nodded.

They closed their eyes as Hecate’s arm elevated to perform the accompanying curling motion. When they opened them again, seconds later, they were standing in the doorway of the art room.

The first sunbeam of the day faintly made its way through the window, making the room light enough for them to distinguish a few things. Hecate instinctively covered her eyes and turned her back to the tiny forest as a sudden rush of fear overtook her previous agony. “I can’t look’. You look first”

“Okay” She heard Pippa walking around and stumbling on something ,probably a desk which prompted her to let out a curse-maybe a little louder than she’d prefer right now-before saying “Ah there it is. Found it”

“What does it look like? Is it good? Is it bad?” Hecate felt her legs shaking under the cloak.

“Depends on the way you look at it” Pippa answered enigmatically.

Hecate sighed, turned around and opened her eyes. Trees of various sizes stood in the previously empty pots. The Hallow tree was massive, an imposing sight as it stood there in all its glory. The Pentangle one was pretty respectable as well. They looked like holiday trees, the way they loomed over everything with charm, covered in shiny little blobs of different colors that closely resembled ornaments.

All except one. Her tree was super tiny, like a bonsai, almost indistinguishable among all the green branches and totally bare. The sensation that she was running sort of breath weighed on her chest as she advanced towards it and frantically inspected every liliputian branch to no avail. Nothing. It was empty.

She felt her heart sink into her chest.

‘I shouldn’t have placed so much hope in this. It was a dumb thing anyway’ she beat herself down “Look at you, covered in leaves and needles and that dirt stain on your cloak and the stupid scratch you got on your cheek by not noticing that branch’. ‘Pathetic’ she heard Ursula Hallow’s voice in her mind.

“I’m sorry,Hiccup” Pippa squeezed her hand. Only then Hecate noticed the tears that had started rolling down her cheeks.

She still hadn’t found the power to say anything when the blonde took a step forward towards the tree, not leaving Hecate’s hand and started muttering something while sparks flew from her free palm. She was halfway through when Hecate recognized the words as belonging to the family tree spell they had been taught the day before.

“Pipsqueak,what..” A pink Blob with Pippa’s face suddenly appeared on the tree and Pippa turned to face Hecate, simultaneously taking her other hand in hers.

“It doesn’t matter that no one else showed up. You have me. I am your family and forever will be. Do you hear that?” New sets of tears escaped Hecate’s eyes as she pulled Pippa into a warm hug. This was her person. Her safe space. Her family.


End file.
